The Real Citizen Kane? | Citizen Hearst | American Experience | PBS

Citizen Kane is one of the most acclaimed films of all time, but did you know that it’s a thinly-veiled biopic of William Randolph Hearst, one of the richest and most powerful figures of the early 20th century? Let’s figure out where the fiction ends and the history begins!

00:00 Meet Kane and Hearst
00:55 Power: Starting the Spanish-American War
02:47 Money: Xanadu and San Simeon
04:22 Love: Susan Alexander and Marion Davies
05:51 Is Hearst the real Citizen Kane?

In the 1930s, William Randolph Hearst’s media empire included 28 newspapers, a movie studio, a syndicated wire service, radio stations and 13 magazines. Nearly one in four American families read a Hearst publication. His newspapers were so influential that Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Winston Churchill all wrote for him. The first practitioner of what is now known as “synergy,” Hearst used his media stronghold to achieve unprecedented political power, then ran for office himself. After serving two terms in Congress, he came in second in the balloting for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1904. Perhaps best known as the inspiration for Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane and his lavish castle in San Simeon, Hearst died in 1951 at the age of 88, having transformed the media’s role in American life and politics. The two-part, four-hour film is based on historian David Nasaw’s critically acclaimed biography, “The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst.”

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[junesilvermanb]

Hearst was renowned for his extensive collection of international art that spanned centuries. Most notable in his collection were his Greek vases, Spanish and Italian furniture, Oriental carpets, Renaissance vestments, an extensive library with many books signed by their authors, and paintings and statues. In addition to collecting pieces of fine art, he also gathered manuscripts, rare books, and autographs. His guests included varied celebrities and politicians, who stayed in rooms furnished with pieces of antique furniture and decorated with artwork by famous artists.

Beginning in 1937, Hearst began selling some of his art collection to help relieve the debt burden he had suffered from the Depression. The first year he sold items for a total of $11 million. In 1941 he put about 20, 000 items up for sale; these were evidence of his wide and varied tastes. Included in the sale items were paintings by van Dyke, crosiers, chalices, Charles Dickens's sideboard, pulpits, stained glass, arms and armor, George Washington's waistcoat, and Thomas Jefferson's Bible. When Hearst Castle was donated to the State of California, it was still sufficiently furnished for the whole house to be considered and operated as a museum.

[fabianogolgo]

My biopic should be with Stephen Dorff

[ittonohara]

Jean Paul Getty was competing with Hearst on collecting ancient stoneware from Rome and Greek at the time.
And ancient European furniture as well.
On one part of California Pacific coast, they even have been neighbours.
And it was Getty, that had a wife, that was a singer at a nightclub.
He turned her into an opera singer, but untalented one. She can be heard in a movie about a drunkard.
The movie is playing through a weekend. Was a successful movie at the time. But she is not credited for it in the movie for her singing performance.
So the mistress in the movie citizen cane might be inspired by Gettys wife.

[christophercasey]

Hearst also had a zoo at San Simeon, as Kane did at Xanadu.

[REH]

Kane: "Crossword puzzles again?" Susan Alexander: 'makes a lot more sense than collecting statues."

[NoNameNo.]

Hearst was has an amazing story: good and bad, he built the modern media psychodrama, the OG of fake news

[jeffweed]

"...in the movie, Kane lives in a castle with its own zip code..."? 1919-1947 Hearst's castle was built. 1963 beginning of zip codes. Inaccurate information disappointing from PBS.

[katie]

More to this story then we will ever know - Like today - Democrats - have you no decency?